--- SConstruct
+++ SConstruct
@@ -138,6 +139,7 @@
         LINKFLAGS = ['-pthread'],
         CC = 'gcc', CXX = 'g++',
         options = opts)
+    env['LINKFLAGS'] += SCons.Util.CLVar(os.environ['LDFLAGS'])
     check_headers = ['asio.hpp', 'boost/bind.hpp', 'GL/gl.h', 'GL/glu.h', 'SDL/SDL.h', 'SDL/SDL_image.h', 'SDL/SDL_rotozoom.h', 'vorbis/vorbisfile.h', 'GL/glew.h', 'curl/curl.h', 'bullet/btBulletCollisionCommon.h', 'archive.h']
     check_libs = [ ['GLEW', 'GL/glew.h', 'glDeleteSamplers(0, NULL);', 'Your GLEW library is out of date.'] ]
 
@@ -390,7 +392,7 @@
 if env['release']:
     # release build, debugging off, optimizations on
     if (sys.platform != 'freebsd6') and (sys.platform != 'freebsd7') and (sys.platform != 'freebsd8') and (sys.platform != 'freebsd9') and (sys.platform != 'win32') and (sys.platform != 'cygwin'):
-        env.Append(CCFLAGS = ['-O1', '-pipe'])
+        env.Append(CCFLAGS = ['-pipe'])
 else:
     # debug build, lots of debugging, no optimizations
     env.Append(CCFLAGS = ['-g3'])
@@ -409,7 +411,6 @@
     env.Append(CCFLAGS = ['-pg'])
     env.Append(LINKFLAGS = ['-pg'])
     env.Append(CCFLAGS = ['-g3'])
-    env.Append(CCFLAGS = ['-O1'])
 
 #------------------------------------#
 # compile-time efficiency assessment #